Death of a doyen

Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi, the celebrated humorist, breathed his last on Wednesday. He may no longer be with us in person but his name will go down in history for the epoch-making literary works he produced. He was indubitably a trendsetter, and his death marks the end of a glorious era in the realm of humour writing. It will take ages for the void that has been created by his demise to be filled. He was a wordsmith in the truest sense of the word. The subtle but cautious way in which he used humour was quite remarkable. Owing to his inimitable writing style, he was equally popular among the young and the old.

Yusufi wrote at a time when the country was in the grip of crippling terrorism, but his timeless writings were a source of joy and mirth for the desperate and dejected hearts. There is no wonder that some of his witty sentences gained currency as proverbs. The dexterity and rarity with which he used humour deserves special applause.

Muhammad Fayyaz

Mianwali

*****

The demise of the legendary humorist and satirist Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi has left the whole nation in deep sorrow and grief. Aged 94, Yusufi died on Wednesday, June 20, after contracting pneumonia. He was shifted to a local hospital in Karachi when his health deteriorated. With his death, Pakistan has lost its most influential and finest Urdu language author. We will never forget the exemplary services he rendered for uplifting Urdu literature.

Owing to his prolific writing the government of Pakistan conferred upon him the two highest literary awards, the Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 1999 and 2002 respectively. Some of his most prominent books include Chiragh Talay, Khakam Badahan, Zarguzasht, Aab-i-Gum and Sham-e-Shair-e-Yaaraan.

Mannan Samad

Turbat